The Third World War: A Terrifying Novel of Global Conflict

38

'No, we don't know what was said,' said Brock. 'But we do know it's a number used exclusively by Park Ho. He travels with three satellite phones and that was one of them.'

'In Pyongyang?' said Jim West slowly, allowing himself time to think. He sat back on the sofa, jacket off, with his feet up on the coffee table. Brock leant over the back of an armchair opposite, having just walked in from his office. Mary Newman stood quietly by the window looking at the melting snow.

'John, how long have we got?' asked the President.

'Toru Sato has arrived in Camp David,' said Kozerski, standing by the door. 'Mehta and Meenakshi are already there with Lizzie. Marine One should be back here any moment now to take us down. The helicopter will return from Camp David to pick up Andrei Kozlov and Stuart Nolan who are getting in within fifteen minutes of each other. They'll be choppered down together. Jamie Song won't be with us until tomorrow.'

'Do you mind meeting him?' West asked Newman, swinging his feet off the coffee table and slipping on his shoes. Then, recognizing disapproval on Newman's face, he quickly added, 'I'll ask Lizzie to go with you as my personal emissary if that helps.'

'That'll help, Mr President, thank you,' said Newman. 'I know it's informal, but the Chinese are very sensitive on protocol.'

'Chris, where's Campbell?'

'On his way back, Mr President,' said Pierce, putting his electronic organizer back into his jacket pocket. 'Qureshi must have thrown a blanket right over the unexpected collateral damage we left behind. Not a squeak.'

'He's keeping our options open,' said Brock, his hand on the door to open it.

'Why blow everything because of a couple of military vehicles and a half-dozen security guards who didn't do their job properly,' said West putting on his jacket. 'The key element is that he must also have the support of the rest of his junta.'

'You know what's really troubling me, Mr President?' said Newman. 'He made the call to North Korea before he got to the bunker in Chaklala.'

'And that, apart from his daughter,' said Brock, 'contacting North Korea was uppermost in his mind.'

Brock opened the door and let the others file through, with the President going through last. 'Scares the shit out of me, if you want an honest reaction,' said West.